Year-End/New-Year Far-Eastern Nevada Trip of MarkBC

[MarkBC]

I left home -- Bend, Oregon -- on December 27, 2012 and returned home on January 3, 2013.

I've been to far-eastern Nevada -- Great Basin National Park (GBNP) specifically -- many times over the past 25 years...and surprisingly (at least to me), most of these trips have been at the same time of year as this trip, a time of year when a harsh land is, arguably, at its harshest. (My "harshness" argument: The climate, especially the temperature, is least-hospitable to animal life in winter

)
But it was a between-Christmas-and-New-Years trip that introduced me to GBNP about 25 years ago, and that was a very special trip for several reasons...so maybe I'm forever trying to recapture/relive that initial specialness. It's probably not possible to do that, is it? But maybe it's worth trying...and maybe in the trying I'll find something else special.

 

[craig333]

And you're just now getting around to a trip report? Oh you've been bad and not even a pic yet.

 

[ski3pin]

Others of us are more patient and excited about hearing about this adventure! Nice map and route.

 

[MarkBC]

I have a few photos processed, much more to work through.
Maybe I'll post a few tonight... It'll be a work in progress over a couple/few days.

 

[LuckyDan]

Ah yes, I can once again get on with living vicariously. Thanks in advance for your report.

 

[Lighthawk]

Looking forward to reportage.

I was on the Winnemucca 95N (aka Idaho-Oregon-Nevada Hwy)stretch of your trip recently, but we stayed on 95 where you went west towards L. Abert. Nice open country up there.

BTW: Ever notice a road called Hot Springs Rd. on 95 just north of the Oregon border? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[MarkBC]

[Note my addition of intro text to Post #1]

Instead of taking the slightly more direct and faster route that heads from Burns to join US 95 at Burns Jct I headed down the Steens East road that runs along the eastern base of Steens Mountain and (eventually) the western edge of the Alvord Desert and on to Fields and joins 140 at Denio Jct.
I had the time to take this much-more scenic and favorite route, and I also had received a request from Craggyman for a report on the state of the Alvord desert (snowcover, etc.) and of Alvord Hot Springs (RE: rumors of changes coming to this institution of many decades!

), relevant to him for a planned New Years Eve trip there.

The east side of Steens was looking fine!
(None of the pics on this day are all that super 'cause it was midday light...but still worth including (IMHO) as documentation.)

Looking ESE across the northern edge of the Alvord Desert.

The rumors, apparently true, about the Alvord Hot Springs are that the Alvord Ranch (private land on which the hot springs are located) is getting tired of the mess and hassle of the hot springs for which they get nothing...and so they're moving towards getting something for it. Putting in some kind of RV parking, camping...maybe even some kind of lodge. (Reportedly another aspect of the story is a pissing match between Alvord Ranch and the BLM...something like that). Anyway, very sad news. They've already closed the traditional road-side parking and entrance and put in a new access point. It's still open as before...but word at the Fields Cafe is that a caretakers shack will be going in this spring.

Link to full-size version of the pano above: Pano-01

[When the full-size versions of these and all following panoramas open in a new browser window, click on them (or whatever for your browser) to view them at full zoom]

Here's a view NE from the SW corner of the Alvord (as I head south):

Full-size version: Pano-02

I stopped at the Fields Cafe and chatted with Tom about what was going on at the Alvord Hot Springs, and he basically confirmed what I'd heard about it through ONDA connections -- the sad (to me) news.
I also noticed a For Sale sign in the window of the Cafe/Store...WHAT?!?! Tom said that he and Sandy have been trying to sell it for almost a year, "We want to retire some time!", he said when I asked "Why?". "I sure hope that the right people buy it", I whined to Tom. He said, "I know...that's why we're taking our time". After the news of hot springs changes, this was more scary/unhappy news for a long-time (25-year) Alvord fan like me. This put me in a kinda unhappy mood at the start of my trip. (the next day I would encounter more unhappy changes in an area I love...

)
Time to practice my spiritual principles: All things change, nothing is permanent...and "This, too, shall pass" is a maxim that applies to good things as well as bad.
Yeah, I know -- but I haven't achieved sainthood yet, and undesirable things still bother me!

Oh well...onward, southward, eastward towards the wilds of Nevada...wherever I would end up that night.

 

[MarkBC]

That night, Dec, 27, I made it as far as about 20 miles south of Battle Mountain/I-80 on the wonderful NV 305.

I pulled off 305 a couple hundred yards at a road that's access to a BLM area, "Mill Creek". I think I spent a night here before...last winter?

Dec. 28, 2012

Full-size: Pano-03

It was cold, of course, this morning...but since I waited so long to post this report I don't remember how cold. Nothing record-breaking (that would come much later in the trip!

).
Even though this spot wasn't far from very-busy I-80 it looked like the middle of nowhere (well...except for the huge gold mine visible a few miles away, but it is Nevada, after all, so of course there's a mine! ). But it was still close enough to I-80 that the Verizon 4G signal that traced the route of the interstate leaked over the hills. So...before heading off from that spot I took advantage of the very-broadband connection and did a Skype video call with Craggyman using my Android smartphone (with him on his Android tablet at his home in Bend) -- my first time to make use of this very-cool techno-marvel. I panned the phone around and showed him where I was camped. I love the wild outdoors...and I love technology, too -- and NO, there is no contradiction in that.

On down that wonderfully remote 305 to where it joins the "loneliest road in America" (that would be US 50) at Austin. I fueled the truck in Austin, and on east up the ridge...
Looking back, down and west, at Austin, the fog-enshrouded Reese River Valley and the Shoshone Mts.:

After passing over the Toiyabe Range and dropping down into the Big Smoky Valley I considered stopping, maybe camping, at Spenser Hot Springs...even considered maybe crossing over the Toquima Range to the Monitor Valley (snowy-roads permitting, of course):

But I decided that my destination really was GBNP, and I really didn't need/want to take two nights to get there (why not? just 'cause), and it was still early-ish in the day so I continued east on "the loneliest road in America".

Refueled and got provisions in Ely, then over the Schell Creek Range to this familiar and wonderful view of the Snake Range, featuring 13,065 (or ,063 or ,064)-foot Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park.

Full-size: Pano-04

However...on the north side of US 50 the view was neither familiar nor wonderful. In what had been wide-open spaces of sagebrush, etc. there is now a wind-turbine power-generating farm:

The last time I'd been through here was on my way home from my Utah trip in May of 2011, and these were not there at that time.
Now...I'm a bleeding heart liberal and environmentalist...so I haven't figured out how I can ethically argue against implementation of this renewable-energy-generating facility. But rationality aside, it still made me sad to see a wild area (no, not wilderness -- there are roads and cattle and mines in the area..but still...) become festooned with technology...the visual impact was what bothered me.
[and NO need to take up the argument for/against this in my trip report-- make your own thread if you feel argumentative...PLEASE]

So, shaken to my core (OK, not really shaken to my core ...but not full of joy, either

) I continued north and east, over the Snake Range at Sacramento Pass and down the east side and south and then up (west) into Great Basin National Park.

I found Lower Lehman Creek Campground (the only c.g., open year round) empty -- ALL MINE!...as it frequently is this time of year. I set up my rig in good old site #11, my frequent (though not always) favorite 'cause it has a wide-open view of mountain to the west and desert to the east.

 

[Gormley Green]

So far so good! What are the daytime and overnight temps like there?

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Wow, Mr BC, those wind farms certainly are an interesting addition to the Loneliest Highway!

 

[craig333]

Thats better. Now lets continue on. Did someone imply I'm impatient?

 

[Smokecreek1]

Boy Mark, I finally get to see the trip I chickened out on; yep, got to sit here and be frozen (and with a case of the flu to boot) in Susanville rather than out in Nevada (what do you say -17 outside and 35 inside the WTW), well always a next time and spring is just over yonder hill anyway! To bad, about that place in Fields --please don't close (a new retirement option for you and your cat, Mark!!!-you could treat me and CraggyMan to breakfast a couple of times a year and a hamburger too!), and I agree with you about those damn wind turbines. We were just starting to put them in when I retired, environmentally great if you do them right, but boy do they ruin the view, I mean what do you do, they hit all the environ criteria, but one of the reasons why I live, play and work in the desert is the "nothingness" of the great view. Great pictures though, maybe next year I'll be up for it, but later this spring for sure, except start here and head to Austin then backtrack, yah that sounds good. Again great pictures and when I get back from the coast in the next few weeks, it will be time to get out my maps and start planning for it.


Smoke

 

[Smokecreek1]

I have a few photos processed, much more to work through.
Maybe I'll post a few tonight... It'll be a work in progress over a couple/few days.


Keep 'em coming, lot's of picture please!

Smoke

 

[CraggyMan]

Wow, MarkBC! this is really inspiring. Maybe my TR from New Years is not too late either...
Looking forward to the more as I sit on the edge of my seat.

 

[MarkBC]

...Maybe my TR from New Years is not too late either...

Never too late...

And I think Ted owes us a report from his trip, too...

 

[MarkBC]

As I've said, I've been to GBNP this time of year quite a few times...and as much as I continue to love it I wasn't that inspired photographically -- not inspired enough to get up for pre-dawn light anyway...especially when dawn temperatures were in the single digits (°F) and even below 0°F. So bear with me for some documentation-grade, midday-light photographs. OK, now that I've got my excuses in place...

Dec. 29, 2012

Camp-craft

One problem, the biggest problem, with the big-view site #11 is that the parking spot is steeply pitched. Fortunately, I had enough Lynx Levelers (two sets) to get it close to level:

My latest addition to winter-campering equipment this year was the snow-roof-rake, complete with angle-connectors so I can reach up onto the camper roof to clear snow. There wasn't much left (from snow at home in Bend), but there was some crust I needed to clear from the solar panels. The main reason I got/brought it was to clear snow from the roof if it snowed significantly -- enough to be heavy -- while camped.

My dual-120-watt panels (=240 watts total capacity) were a great addition to my kit, not only keeping my battery topped up while sitting idle at home but also easily able to keep it topped up in use:

(two pics of the same controller to show the meter and the "full" light)

One of the things I like about this site is the nice view to the east of the desert in extreme-western Utah. I think it's cool how those ridges are mostly/partly buried by eons of sediment:

And the other thing I like about this campsite is the nice view of The Mountain to the west:

I've taken this photo many times over the years...but I never get tired of the scene -- sagebrush, mixed conifers and broadleaf trees with snow, with the big mountain in the background. Lehman Creek, for which the campground is named, runs along the base of the ridge...and that's why those trees are there.

 

[MarkBC]

One of my typical activities when camped here at this time of year is to hike/snowshoe/ski up the closed road, the particular mode of locomotion depending on how much snow there is on the road.
This year hiking boots were all that was necessary. The snow was up to a foot deep in the shade and sheltered areas, but on the road there was little.

These arrows marked in the snow are tracks of turkeys. Wild turkeys, yes, but they're not native to the area (not native to the West at all) and the Park wishes they weren't there:

The noble creatures in the photo below -- ravens -- are absolutely native and probably my favorite bird. I've seen them soaring above 14,000' peaks in winter and in the low deserts of the SW in summer. And they're smart, too.
I tried to count the number in this photo (there were more out of the frame) and stopped after I convinced myself that it's >100:

I walked about a mile up the road. Looking down at Lower Lehman Creek Campground and my camper:

In my Post #1 I mentioned my "special" first trip to GBNP in winter, and one of the cool things about it was my attempted climb/hike up 13,065' Wheeler Peak. People usually drive to the 10,000-foot point to do the hike in summer, but since the road is closed in winter I had to start at about 7800'.
Looking up at the peak on that cold-but-sunny-and-calm first trip back in the '80s I could see what looked like a skiff of snow on gravel up on the ridge above timberline -- it looked like it would be easy going. What I didn't consider was that something that looks to have the texture of gravel from a couple/few miles away can't possibly be gravel and must be boulders...and the skiff of snow was quite a bit deeper than that. DUH!!
But I was in my mid/late-30s and in the best shape of my life. For most of the attempted hike it never crossed my mind that I wouldn't summit. Not until I had spent a couple of hours plunging through breakable crust between boulders.

So, as it approached late-afternoon and the sun approached the ridge I got smart and descended down, down, down plunge-stepping without fear of the real chance of snapping my legs off...down to Lehman Creek, which I followed down back to my camp. Saved by young fitness if not by sense.

My approximate route for that ~25-years-ago hike shown by the arrows shows that I got kinda near the summit of Jeff Davis Peak -- the forward bump, with Wheeler Peak the bump behind it.

 

[MarkBC]

Dec. 30, 2012

After two nights camped in Great Basin N.P. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do...but I was starting to miss a connection with the outside world -- there is no cell phone service where I was camped. So, since I was going to have to close down my camper and put stuff away in order to drive somewhere to get a cell connection (the one downside of a pickup camper compared to a camp trailer, IMHO), I decided to sleep somewhere else for the night.

I drove to the Border Inn -- literally on the NV-UT border -- and checked into room availability. They have WiFi, so that would serve as my connection to the outside world, TV to watch, shower to take, real bed to sleep in, etc. Though they were full-up booked for New Years Eve -- there's a big-deal New Years party at the Inn every year -- they had plenty of rooms for the night of the 30th.

I bought some snacks and headed out for an afternoon of explore-driving up along the east side of the Snake Range, north of US 50/6.

I drove north on the gravel county road, and that was fine and I'd hoped to drive up to/into one or more of the canyons that cut the range.

But, as it turns out...though the snow on the unplowed BLM roads was not really deep, it was deeper than I wanted to take a chance of getting stuck in. It was crusty on top and sugary underneath...and I didn't want another "incident". Yes, I had a full set of chains, but I don't want to use them unless it's absolutely necessary.

The road to Smith Canyon was one of my planned destinations:

This was the location for my personal "horror story" many years ago...one that involved in being stuck, in a way, but not by snow.
But I chickened out.

None of the several unplowed roads that I considered and rejected had been driven by anyone else, so I didn't feel too bad about wimping out.

The road up Hendry's Creek was acceptable, so I drove up there and hung out for a while...but it wasn't that exciting so I left.

On the way back south to the Border Inn I noticed some nice clouds and landforms, so I shot a small panorama:

Full-size version: Pano-05

Back at the Inn I had dinner in their restaurant, watched TV, took care of some business that required Internet access, slept in a bed.

I remember another winter visit to the Border Inn...many years ago. I spent a couple of afternoon hours at the bar watching an episode of Stephen King's "The Stand" miniseries on the bar tv..drinking beer...maybe whisky, too. That memory, for some reason, achieved the status of "special" in my mind, and I think of it when I see/hear a references to that book/miniseries.
The Border Inn is a component of what makes this area special to me.
Funky and special.

 

[ski3pin]

Mr. BC, we are enjoying this! Awaiting (patiently) more. Oh,and by the way, are you sure a couple of those invasive turkeys didn't steal a bike?

 

[craig333]

Can't blame you for not traveling on snow when you're solo. At least with us if the worst happens we stay dry an warm but why risk it.